Mirkwood's Ring
by Shi Ryuu
Summary: Something is terribly wrong in Mirkwood. Can the Rivendell elves discover what it is before it's too late for Legolas and his home?
1. Chapter 1

Mirkwood's Ring:  Chapter One
    
    Author's Notes: Keep in mind that I'm an artist and make absolutely no 
    
    claims of any writing talent whatsoever! This is my first attempt at LOTR 
    
    fanfiction and my first attempt at fanfiction at all for several years. ^^; 
    
    ; It's been at least four years since I've even attempted anything but an 
    
    academic paper. You've been warned. Also, this in an AU. I've read LOTR, 
    
    Hobbit, Silm. UT, LT, and some of HoME, but it's been quite a while on all 
    
    of them but LOTR. Feel free to correct me on any obscure things I get wrong 
    
    cannon-wise, but I'm not trying horribly hard here. =) Fanfiction is 
    
    fanfiction, not cannon and I have no delusions of living up to Tolkien's 
    
    work. I will occasionally use elvish because I'm a linguist at heart and 
    
    it's easier sometimes than reaching for a thesaurus, but I'll put the 
    
    definitions at the bottom of the fic. =) Okay, I'm done. You can read the 
    
    fic now. 
    
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
    
    It was a late and truly beautiful night in a picturesque valley 
    
    along the Bruinen River. Within his halls, Elrond peredhel, lord of 
    
    Imladris, paced endlessly before the fire of his study. An uneasy feeling 
    
    had pervaded his senses for the past few weeks, and yet, he knew with a 
    
    certainty born of long familiarity that nothing was amiss with his own realm 
    
    He had received no ill premonitions of impending doom, not a dreamed 
    
    glimpse of a new arriving evil, not so much as a cold shiver down his spine, 
    
    and yet he was haunted by some shadow he could feel growing over—well, he 
    
    knew not what. 
    
    "You are wearing a trail in your flagstones." A golden voice broke through 
    
    his troubled musings. 
    
    Ah Glorfindel, always there to point out the most useful bits of information 
    
    "I thank you, my friend. That's intensely helpful." The stately elven 
    
    lord quipped. 
    
    A soft chuckle answered his appraisal, "Perhaps if you would enlighten me to 
    
    what is troubling you so thoroughly, instead of abusing the poor stonework, 
    
    I could offer some further bit of wisdom?" The ancient warrior's brilliant 
    
    eyes sparkled as he easily pressed a warm goblet of wine into his Lord's 
    
    hands, "Drink this, it will help. You need to relax." 
    
    Elrond sighed and ran his free hand over his tired storm-hued eyes. 
    
    Whatever was bothering him had not allowed him to rest well these past few 
    
    nights. "I would that I could tell you what bothers me, Glorfindel, but 
    
    truly, I cannot discern that, even for myself." 
    
    "Ah, so it is a lack of something being wrong that is bothering you? Has 
    
    life in the Valley been too peaceful lately? I'm sure your sons could 
    
    happily remedy that for you. They have a knack for it." He replied wryly. 
    
    The twins were once again in residence after their latest orc hunt, and they 
    
    had yet to get bored enough to start up their mischief, but it was only a 
    
    matter of time. 
    
    Elrond threw him a glare. "I wish it were something that easy, but perhaps 
    
    you're right. Perhaps I am merely not used to things being moderately quite 
    
    for once." He rolled his tense shoulders and forced himself to relax. 
    
    Indeed, now that he had found a rational explanation of his misgivings he 
    
    was able to push some of the foreboding from his mind. Had he truly been 
    
    brooding merely over when the other shoe would drop? It seemed unlikely; 
    
    his intuition was seldom so wrong, but he was tired and willing to at least 
    
    let the matter rest for now. 
    
    He sighed and plopped himself down in a comfortable and well worn chair 
    
    before the fire and gestured for his most loyal advisor and best friend to 
    
    do the same. Glorfindel gracefully folded himself into his chair's mate 
    
    situated diagonally on the other side of the hearth, and for a moment Elrond 
    
    envied him his ease and grace. The Lord of Imladris had been feeling old 
    
    recently. Too much heartache and too much evil seen in his long years for 
    
    his partially human heart. He sometimes felt as if the ages would one day 
    
    catch up with his body, as they already weighed on his mind. Intellectually 
    
    he knew he was as he had been under mighty Gil-galad's banner, but when he 
    
    looked into the mirror lately, especially since Celebrian had left, he 
    
    thought he could see his age in the loneliness of his eyes and the furrow of 
    
    worries on his brow, yet his raven hair remained as dark and luxurious as 
    
    ever and his skin as smooth as weathering would allow. His eyes would never 
    
    tire from the long use of old age, and his mind would ever be as sharp as it 
    
    had always been. He felt a pang of sorrow that quickly dissipated, for it 
    
    was easy to picture himself ravaged by time since he had watched his own 
    
    dear twin brother choose mortality and eventually fall to its clutches, but 
    
    such wounds were old, and he had made his peace with Elros's choice long ago 
    
    He and Glorfindel settled into the companionable silence achievable only to 
    
    the best and longest of friends as they both let the cares and toils of the 
    
    day be washed away in the comfort of the plush burgundy chairs and the fire 
    
    s warmth. The sweet tang of the wine further helped to settle Rivendell's 
    
    lord's nerves until he was able to nearly forget the threat he had been 
    
    worrying over moments ago, and he looked over at his golden haired companion 
    
    in much better spirits. "What brought you to my chambers so late, 
    
    Glorfindel? Surely not to bring me wine and help sooth an old elf's nerves, 
    
    though both were greatly appreciated." 
    
    "What? Hmm...Oh, yes. The monthly messenger arrived from Mirkwood, and that 
    
    seemed as good an excuse as any to intrude on your endless circuit of your 
    
    rooms." He smiled gently, "and if you are old, I am certainly beyond ancient 
    
    " He carefully extracted a folded letter from within his outer robes and 
    
    handed it across the small gap of the chair's arms. 
    
    Elrond accepted the proffered papers and examined the seal for a moment. 
    
    The livery of Mirkwood always brought back images of the banners of Orophor 
    
    and times when things were much different. It had been long indeed since 
    
    his own lord and Thranduil's father had quarreled, but he could still recall 
    
    the raised voices of the disagreement that had led to the folly of Greenwood 
    
    s king in that Last Alliance. So many lives lost over such a petty thing. 
    
    He sighed, as a half-elf, he had more than his share of bigotry in those 
    
    days. Relations were better now of course. To keep such things from 
    
    occurring again, the monthly messages went from kingdom to kingdom, from 
    
    Mirkwood to Lorien and Rivendell, and from each of those kingdoms to the 
    
    other two. Mirkwood would always be more greatly estranged from the other 
    
    elven realms, it had not the advantage of a Ring or of an alliance through 
    
    marriage as Lorien and Rivendell had, but they did their best to stay on 
    
    civil terms with the son of Orophor. His woodland kin could hardly be 
    
    faulted for the darkness at their borders in these evil times. 
    
    Thranduil's reports had been more and more foreboding of late, though the 
    
    careful words of his scribes did much to hide it. He seemed to be 
    
    struggling on several fronts to keep his realm intact. The stubborn fool 
    
    would never ask for help of course, but it was becoming more and more 
    
    apparent that intercession would be needed in the future. Mirkwood simply 
    
    did not have the resources of the other two realms for its defense against 
    
    evil. Elrond sighed. He would have to read carefully the next few reports. 
    
    Mirkwood's king was proud and noble, but like his father, he often 
    
    underestimated the danger of a situation, or at least under reported the 
    
    threat to his allies so when one was given reason to worry, one had to 
    
    carefully read between the lines. Thranduil was rightfully proud of his 
    
    ability to keep back the shadows without the use of sorcery which he knew 
    
    the other two realms possessed, though he was unaware of just where their 
    
    power came from. Very few knew who the bearers of the elven rings were. He 
    
    was not one of them; he defended his people with the power inborn in them 
    
    and through the oddly deep connection many of them seemed to have with the 
    
    woods and with nature itself. Even Mithrandir had once admitted to Elrond 
    
    that he was unaware of exactly how deeply Mirkwood's populous in general, 
    
    and its royal family in particular, shared a connection with its woodland 
    
    home and just what it made them capable of. 
    
    "Are you going to open it, or just stare at it all day?" Glorfindel's voice 
    
    broke into his reverie. "The contents aren't going to get better for ageing 
    
    them, mellon-nin." 
    
    He caught a sigh before it could leave his lips. He had been sighing far 
    
    too often tonight. Carefully he broke the seal and was a bit surprised to 
    
    see atop the usual stack of very carefully worded reports a single page in 
    
    Thranduil's bold script which appeared to be a personal letter. 
    
    ~ ~ ~ 
    
    'Peredhel, 
    
    I am aware of the irregularity of this kind of correspondence between us, 
    
    but I felt it was necessary. If all goes well, you will receive my scribe's 
    
    usual reports on our border patrols and our prospects of this season's 
    
    harvest in next month's package and you will know to disregard this missive. 
    
    You will no doubt we gladdened to hear that my pride has finally failed me. 
    
    I am forced to admit that my people and my land may indeed be in dire 
    
    straights. I have lost two patrols in the past fortnight, and three more in 
    
    as many months preceding those. Orcs, trolls, spiders, all the dark ilk 
    
    that has ever plagued us, but in greater abundance than ever. 
    
    I do not write you begging for your aid in this. Not yet. I merely wanted 
    
    you to be aware. I have been keeping in safety a thing of great power, 
    
    which I feel may be able to drive away the darkness. I will do what I can, 
    
    and I have reason to think it will be enough. Before you go mad with 
    
    irrational musings as you are so wont to do, I shall tell you now, it is not 
    
    the One Ring. Even I am not so arrogant or prideful as to think I could 
    
    wield that with impunity even if I knew where that worthless Man had dropped 
    
    it. 
    
    Never the less, I am either saving my kingdom, or doing something immensely 
    
    foolish. Should something go amiss, I do not wish to leave my people 
    
    without help and at the mercy of the spiders. I am neither blind, nor deaf 
    
    to what you and Lorien think of me, but know this, I have always, and ever 
    
    will, put the good of my people before my own. 
    
    Should you hear no word from me by the time of the next reports, I am lost 
    
    and my son will need your help to drive the evil from our borders. You will 
    
    be happy to hear that he is a good and humble lad who probably takes after 
    
    his mother, and certainly not me. I have a feeling you two will get along 
    
    very well.' 
    
    ~ ~ ~ 
    
    It was signed simply and bluntly as the king tended to do all things that 
    
    did not involve wine or riches, with a plain "Thranduil" scrolled across the 
    
    bottom of the parchment. Immediately, Elrond felt his shadow of doom rise 
    
    up from the corner of his mind where he had shoved it. "What has that fool 
    
    done now?" He whispered as he once more took up his pacing before the fire 
    
    and the worried countenance of Glorfindel. 
    
    "My Lord?" Wordlessly he handed the letter to his advisor who quickly 
    
    skimmed it, the worried frown growing on his fair face as he read. "What do 
    
    you think he means to do?" 
    
    "We shall find out in a month I suppose." The half-elf raked his fingers 
    
    through his dark hair and removed his circlet before heading towards his bed 
    
    chambers for much needed rest. 
    
    "You aren't going to do anything about this now?" His friend sounded 
    
    slightly baffled as he rose a bit awkwardly from his chair and turned to 
    
    follow Elrond's progress through the room. 
    
    "No. It is late, and I am exhausted. Besides, what could I do? Send 
    
    legions of my best men into Mirkwood uninvited and break Ages worth of 
    
    treaties only to discover whatever half-thought-through plot of Thranduil's 
    
    has actually succeeded? It would take a month to reach the forest and we 
    
    must add to that whatever time it would take me to marshal and equip a large 
    
    enough force to confidently deal with Mirkwood's problems, perhaps without 
    
    the help of her own armies. By that time, next month's report would be 
    
    sitting on my desk. On top of that, I would be sending them into only the 
    
    Valar knows what! No, Thranduil is a big boy. He has been ruling his 
    
    kingdom unaided for a very long time and would not gladly accept my barging 
    
    in. He's shown at least some forethought in whatever he's engaged in by 
    
    sending me that missive. We will simply have to trust he truly does know 
    
    what he is doing, and pray that if that is not so, we will be able to 
    
    discover it in a month's time and take care of the issues more easily for 
    
    having been forewarned." 
    
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
    
    Elvish: 
    
    Peredhel -- half-elf 
    
    mellon-nin -- my friend 


	2. Chapter 2


    Mirkwood's Ring: Chapter Two
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    Legolas slowly made his way down a darkened hallway leading to his
    father's new rooms in the depths of Mirkwood's palace. Thranduil had
    moved his chambers several weeks ago and had been acting rather oddly
    for the past month. Mirkwood's prince and heir was getting rather
    worried about his sire he had become reclusive and irritable, and he
    had begun spending an awful lot of time in the dark quiet places away
    from the usual light and nature elves, especially elves of his own
    land, thrived on. If this wasn't enough, Thranduil had become moody
    and withdrawn. True, he was never all that personable or
    lighthearted to begin with, especially not when compared to the
    disposition of his son, but Legolas had never really had cause to
    fear his wrath in anything but a paternally disappointed sense.
    The shadows loomed in an oddly threatening manner as the prince
    passed by each doorway along the sparsely lit corridor. He wasn't
    all that fond of even the most airy parts of the castle, being
    secretly a little claustrophobic, but these were areas of the palace
    he would never have tread of his own accord even when they were in
    their original states. As it was, Thranduil, in his odd mood had
    ordered only every other lamp lit for the first stretch of hallway,
    and every second lamp as the walk progressed. He d had the servants
    remove his things to the remotest suite of rooms in this distant
    hallway without even the slightest bit of explanation and he'd been
    leaving his new accommodations less and less since the threats at his
    border had mysteriously begun to disappear.
    Legolas had spent the last week on the edges of their territory
    surveying the odd retreat of evil from their lands and had only
    returned hours ago to find the palace in a state of confusion. In
    the two weeks prior to his leaving, Thranduil had at least been
    attending to his duties for a small part of each day. Evidently since
    he had left, his father had let his duties go undone while he did
    whatever he was so set upon within his own chambers.
    At first several of the advisors had attempted to speak to him to
    find out what was wrong with their sovereign, but he would have none
    of it. There was no illness about him and he took regular meals in
    his rooms, but he had become pale and his features seemed sharper.
    His infamous tempers became more frequent and lately they had turned
    violent. After he had struck the last man brave enough to approach
    him it had been decided that there was nothing for it but to recall
    Legolas from his investigations. The Queen had died when the archer
    was quite young and so the prince was the only family left to their
    long time king. He was not an affectionate father, but it had always
    been plain to see that he was proud of his son's accomplishments as a
    warrior and dignitary, and the prince had often escaped his father's
    wrath with his quick wit and even the king was often forced to cave
    under the power of his pleading icy blue eyes.
    Legolas had been disgusted with his father's court upon his return,
    but his anxiety over his sire and what was becoming of their kingdom,
    over-ruled his distaste. So it was that he found himself in a part
    of the palace that he despised trying to hide his discomfort with his
    surroundings and feeling himself oddly ill at ease about talking to
    his father. While that, in itself wasn't an unusual sensation,
    usually he had done something to warrant the trepidation he was now
    feeling about the upcoming conversation.
    He took a deep breath to center himself and smoothed down the hunting
    tunic he had not had time to change out of, then ran a hand over his
    immaculate blond braids. Ready as he could be, he raised his hand
    and gently rapped on his sire's door. "My Lord Father?" he called
    quietly, not wanting to set the king off if he were napping. Quietly
    he opened the door, feeling his unwarranted sense of wrongness
    increase exponentially as he did so, and carefully he entered the
    room.
    "Adar? Are you here?" The darkness of the chambers was complete and
    a cold spike of fear thrilled down his spine. Something was not
    right. Immediately he felt himself shift into the cold calmness he
    assumed during battle and automatically he took on a defensive
    stance, resting lightly on the balls of his feet. He could make out
    nothing in the utter pitch of the space before him and without
    knowledge of the new layout of these chambers, he dared not move
    farther within.
    Just as he was about to back out slowly and go for a torch and a set
    of guards he felt cold hands grip his shoulders and slam his back
    into the wall beside the door. A pained gasp left his lips before he
    could stop it when the back of his head met the stone wall and tiny
    lights began to dance in his vision.
    "What are you doing here? I left orders that no one was to bother
    me!" A voice rough from disuse emitted from his attacker, and Legolas
    froze in the midst of executing a move to free himself.
    "My Lord Father?" He was disconcerted to hear the pitch of his voice
    was higher than normal with surprise and anxiety.
    "SILENCE!"
    The word was like a physical blow and the prince felt as if the
    command took the air from his lungs. The unnaturally powerful hit
    that followed from the back of his father's hand added to whatever
    evil force was at work here and he felt the skin of his cheek split
    from Thranduil's ring as the strength of the blow sent his head
    slamming into the wall behind him again and then sent him to the
    ground. His head spun and he couldn't seem to breathe; the cut on
    his cheek burned oddly, but even if he could summon the strength to
    free himself from whatever held his lungs immobile, he had no idea
    how to proceed He could not raise a hand against his own father.
    He could sense the other elf bending over him and feel his malevolent
    intent as the blackness of unconsciousness began to overcome the
    room's natural oppressive darkness, lack of air and very likely a
    concussion contriving to pull him under. Summoning the last of his
    strength he managed to gasp out Ada!..." before the world went
    completely dark.
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    Several weeks later, Rivendell found the usual messenger from
    Mirkwood awaiting an audience with one of Elrond's advisors to
    deliver the monthly report. Despite his words to Glorfindel, Elrond
    had been unable to quite put aside his worries over Thranduil's realm
    and had been on edge for the entirety of the preceding month. So it
    was that he came to meet the messenger himself this time, and
    personally accepted the normal looking package from the runner while
    silently gesturing for a groom to see to the man's horse.
    "I thank you, messenger, you are welcome to your usual room and of
    course, the merriment of my halls for your stay here." The dark
    haired elf lord told his obviously weary guest. "I shall have my
    reply ready for your departure on the morrow."
    "My duty and my pleasure milord." The silivan elf bowed low at the
    waist and made the sweeping hand gesture of respect common to elven
    kind. "I thank you for your hospitality."
    The half-elf nodded, only distantly aware of the pleasantries as he
    began opening the parchments even as he turned to re-enter his home.
    Under the usual accounts of the scribes, which looked a little more
    hastened than usual, Elrond found what he had been looking for.
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    Peredhel,
    I've gotten rid of the evil. Disregard the last missive. It was
    only a precaution anyway. My item worked as it was supposed to with
    only a slight complication I had not foreseen, but have well in hand
    now.
    Don't ask. I'm not telling, and no, you can't have it.
    Thranduil.
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    Elrond sighed. How was it that Thranduil could give him a migraine
    without even being present? Though he claimed all was well,
    something was not quite right about his letter. There had been no
    gloating about having taken care of the problem himself and the fact
    that the "complication" was great enough to mention meant that it
    probably hadn't been a small thing at all, if the king had even
    managed to take care of it yet. Thranduil was anything but humble,
    and he hated admitting even small hitches in his plans. No,
    something had gone terribly wrong with whatever it was. Reading
    between the lines told him that, but whatever it had been was most
    likely nearly cleaned up by now.
    Imaldris's lord realized he had somehow made it back to his study in
    his reading and musing and had taken up pacing once more before his
    large hearth Looking down he did, indeed, think he could make out the
    damage this habit was causing his floor and he resolved to get rid of
    the inane repetitive compulsion. He was too old for bad habits
    anyway.
    So thinking, he very deliberately sat himself down in one of the
    comfortable burgundy chairs and propped his chin on his hand as he
    rested against the arm rest. Something else had been bothering him
    about this whole ordeal, and it was perhaps the most important
    issue. What in Middle Earth could Thranduil have been hiding away in
    that horde of his which could immediately begin to drive the evil
    from his borders? Such an artifact would have to be incredibly
    powerful, or enhance the king's own connection with his land enough
    to let him force them out. As far as his spies had been able to
    deduce, Mirkwood was nearly cleared out down to the southern part
    which Thranduil had not been able to hold for centuries. It put him
    a little at ease to know that whatever he had wasn't quite powerful
    enough to empty even Southern Mirkwood, but still, it was definitely
    a force to be reckoned with, and probably not something that should
    be used lightly.
    With something of the parameters of the object's power in mind, he'd
    begun to research on what it might be, but so far he'd had no luck.
    He simply could not think of or locate any written record of anything
    still existing that fit the description.
    A loud clatter and an outraged squawk from the kitchens made him
    groan and begin to massage the bridge of his nose in irritation. His
    research definitely had not been helped by his son's boredom. The
    were once more raising the Last Homely House with their pranks and
    mischief. He hoped they hadn't done irreparable damage to tonight's
    dinner. He had been too consumed with his work to take lunch.
    He watched as a flour covered Erestor stalked past his study from the
    direction of the disturbance and couldn't help but smirk a bit, but
    still.. this had to stop...The Twins needed something to do, and he
    needed to find out what was really happening in Mirkwood. He would
    kill two birds with one stone, or would that be two birds with two
    stones, as he was going to use the twins? ...Elrond decided he needed
    a nap, or a vacation.
    "ELLADAN! ELROHIR! Since you seem to have so much extra energy, I
    have a job for you!"
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    Elvish:
    Adar: Father (respectful)
    Ada: Daddy/Dad
    Peredhel: Half-elf
    


	3. Chapter 3


    Mirkwood's Ring: Chapter 3.
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    "Do you get the impression that we occasionally get on Adar's nerves 'Dan?"
    Elrohir laughingly asked his brother from the back of his large bay mare.
    The twins were dressed in regal red and blue respectively, with silver
    trimmings on their tunics and sun-glinted mithril and leather amour
    protecting their bodies from the inevitable skirmishes they always stumbled
    into. Their weapons shone well polished and tenderly cared for on their
    backs and at their hips as they rode confidentially on their way to visit
    the prince of the woods at their father's bidding.
    "Whatever gave you that idea?" Elladan answered with a grin, "We were home
    for all of, what, two months this time before he found us an "urgent" errand
    that needed running?" He expertly guided his golden horse around a fallen
    limb along the broad path through Mirkwood's forest and took a silent moment
    to be a bit disturbed over the lack of care the road had seen. It was the
    only safe thoroughfare through the huge dark forest and usually the land's
    inhabitants kept it in good repair.
    His twin snickered, and then grew a bit more serious as if sensing his
    companion's change sudden shift in mood. "True, but Father needs our
    light-heartedness. He's grown so lonely and dour of late. I worry for him."
    The older brother nodded, "I as well, but at least this time he's come up
    with a plausible adventure for us, and it will be good to see Legolas again.
    "Aye, the last time he 'suggested' something for us to do, we had to travel
    half-way across the continent for that weird flower Grandmother supposedly
    needed for whatever she was working on. It took us nearly a year to find
    the stupid thing and it turned out she'd found a substitute for it by the
    time we'd gotten back."
    "Yes, but we did get to kill a lot of orc that time out." the smirk was
    definitely back on Elladan's face. "I think I doubled my total from the
    year before."
    "--not that, that is incredibly impressive from you." His younger brother
    teased, "I kill twice as many as you on a bad day."
    "HEY! That is blatantly not true! Besides, I could kill many more if I didn
    t have to patch you up quite so often!"
    The normal friendly sibling bickering would have continued if Elrohir hadn't
    sobered once again, "What do you think is causing this weirdness in
    Mirkwood? Do you think Legolas is alright?"
    "Adar said the evil had been driven back, and he seems to be right. We
    haven't seen a single sign of orc since we entered the forest. Whatever's
    happened can't be all bad." Indeed, the only annoyances they'd face since
    their arrival were the pestering bugs. One would think the buggers had
    somehow developed the ability to sense the small portion of human blood each
    twin carried. They'd been absolutely relentless for the entire journey.
    "True, but we haven't seen any elves either." Elrohir absently swatted at a
    mosquito and frowned at the mess it made of his glove.
    That statement put a pall over the conversation for the rest of the day's
    journey to the gates of Eryn Lasgalen.
    .
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    The stars had begun to shine brightly in the velvet night sky as the
    travelers made their approach towards the massive doors into the elven
    capital. The branches and leaves were not so thick here that the pricks of
    light, so soothing to any elven soul could not be seen through gaps in the
    beautifully and lovingly tended tree's boughs. The giant enchanted wooden
    gates towered over the half-elves who did not fail to notice the alert
    guards hidden in a large, well concealed nook above the swinging portal.
    The soldiers were weary and had obviously taken note of them from a distance
    as they stood clad in their traditional browns and greens with bows drawn,
    but no arrows nocked.
    "Hold! Who seeks entrance into King Thranduil's woodland palace?" The guard
    on the right's voice rang strong and true but with an odd monotone which the
    peredhel could not place. The twins exchanged glances and frowned. They
    had never been challenged at the gates of Legolas's home before. They
    thought themselves rather easily recognizable and hardly ever had problems
    getting into anywhere in elven or human lands with their obvious parentage
    written so easily in their features and their rather expansive reputation.
    Besides, long and many were the times they had spent in these halls as one
    or the other recuperated from an injury achieved in their relentless battle
    against the orcs who had so cruelly treated their mother. Evil had not been
    in short supply beneath these trees since the coming of the necromancer into
    Dol Guldur; their paths often lead them here to help in its eradication. On
    top of that, Legolas was their long time deepest and truest friend. Even if
    they didn't have their oath to eradicate the yrch they would have traveled
    here often to visit the reclusive prince.
    Elladan cleared his throat and called up to the top of the gates, "We are
    the twin sons of Elrond Peredhel, Lord of Imladris. I am Elladan, and this
    wastrel beside me is my brother Elrohir. We have ridden long from our
    father's realms to meet with Legolas, our good friend and brother in arms."
    Elrohir shot his brother an annoyed glance and rolled his eyes, but did not
    comment as they awaited their reply.
    The two guards exchanged uneasy glances and words whispered too quietly for
    the two half-elves to hear. "Forgive us my lords, but we cannot allow you
    entrance. No one may leave our lands now, once they have stepped past our
    gates. I doubt that is a fate you would enjoy. Return to your father and
    tell him all is well with us." The last spoken words were oddly scathing,
    as if the speaker thought them here with dishonorable intentions.
    "We did not come to research the well-being of your land, or pass along
    information of you to our father. We are not spies or informants. We
    sought only to see your Prince who we have fought beside in many battles
    against evil, often saving each other's lives. Please allow us at least to
    speak with him before we depart." Elladan perplexedly tried to soothe
    whatever bad feeling had grown up in the hearts of this soldier.
    At this, the guard who had spoken looked pained and his companion could no
    longer meet the twin's eyes. "Forgive us lords, but it would be impossible
    for you to speak with the Prince at this time. Please be on your way."
    There was an odd note of pleading in the soldier's voice that gave the
    peredhel a moment of clear certainty that something was deeply wrong here.
    "Has he been wounded? I confess, we had thought to find him among the
    border patrols seeing to the routing of spiders or orcs. We thought it odd
    that he did not come to meet us. Indeed, we have seen none of your people
    on our entire journey here!" Elladan's voice was filled with worry for his
    friend and he felt the anxiety radiating from his twin as well.
    "He is not wounded sirs! No, please do not fear for his health." Both
    guards were quick to reassure them. "He is only--" they glanced at each
    other oddly once more, "Um, indisposed." the other soldier finished for his
    comrade.
    The twins frowned. The love of their prince had always been very obvious in
    Mirkwood's people and these were clearly not comfortable with whatever
    position he had currently found himself, yet it was also equally obvious to
    the grandsons of Galadriel that there were no blatant lies in their words.
    Legolas was surely not injured seriously, or at least, it was not an injury
    that kept him from seeing them.
    "If he is busy, we can wait." Elrohir finally said. "I'm sure he will make
    time for us as soon as he can, and a small wait is nothing compared to the
    time it took us to ride here." Elladan nodded in agreement with his other
    half.
    The agitation of the gatemen grew even further and the spokesman shook his
    head empathetically. "I'm afraid that will not be possible. Please return
    home." With eerie simultaneousness both elves turned and disappeared from
    their sight behind the gate.
    The matching frowns worn by the visitors bore a very distinct resemblance to
    their father's "thinking face" as they had dubbed it when they were much
    younger. They rode a few paces away from the wall so as not to be overheard
    and quietly held conference between them.
    "Adar was right 'Ro. Something is wrong here and it is obvious they will
    not allow us to see Legolas and ask him what that is."
    "I concur. We cannot leave things as they are. Some madness has befallen
    Mirkwood in the strange absence of the dark forces, and it has obviously
    adversely affected our friend."
    "Dare we risk Legolas's secret entrance?" Elrohir frowned in concern even as
    he mentioned it. They had been shown the hidden gate that could only be
    opened by elven royalty on one of their first visits to the palace after
    they had saved Legolas's life for the first time. The act had been
    reciprocated many times over, but the mysterious doorway had been the prince
    s gift of trust to them. He'd said he'd had an odd feeling that they would
    need it someday, and they had sworn everlasting friendship and brotherhood
    the afternoon before. He had wanted to give them something to prove his
    devotion and assurance of them. A present of trust was considered the
    highest boon a silivan elf could grant another being as they were
    notoriously a withdrawn and paranoid race when not amongst their own. The
    twins had become practically honorary sons of Thranduil since that night and
    had never faced the seclusion of other outsiders under these leaves. Among
    their own people, there was never a race so giving and generous as Mirkwood
    s countrymen. Though Legolas did not share the prejudices of his fellows,
    the sons of Elrond had no misconceptions about the value of their gift and
    were loath to abuse its knowledge.
    "I don't think we have any choice." Elladan sighed. "I cannot even begin to
    fathom what could be making the normally so temperate elves of this realm
    act so strangely, and we cannot leave Legolas to whatever it is. We are
    sworn to his aide and my heart aches even now to think of him in peril."
    His brother nodded in agreement, but then his brow furrowed as a thought
    occurred to him. "What of the guard's warning? Those who enter the gates
    cannot leave this land again."
    "It is probably just a decree of the King's, made in this craziness. We
    cannot be held to it. Our station should protect us. He daren't restrain
    us for fear of our father."
    "But 'Dan, what could have come over Thranduil to make him act this way?
    What if he holds Legolas prisoner within his own palace and that is why our
    brother could not meet us here?" A sick feeling of dread crept up the
    half-elven brother's spines.
    "Thranduil loves his son 'Ro! You've seen how he dotes on him when no one
    else is looking. He could never harm him anymore than our father would harm
    us."
    "He's obviously under some kind of wicked spell, and he's always been cold
    Dan--"
    "--but not cruel. You cannot seriously think he'd harm Legolas!"
    "...no...no of course not...it's just a bad feeling I suddenly have..."
    Elladan nodded in agreement and leaned over his horse to pat his brother
    reassuringly on the shoulder. "The sooner we get inside, the sooner we can
    discover the secrets here and help to fix them. If we cannot, I'm sure we
    can get Adar or even Grandmother to help. They hold little love for
    Thranduil, but they would not let the Great Wood fall."
    Elrohir looked at his brother for a moment, and then sighed, "Yes, of course
    you're right, and I'm sure Legolas is fine." He covered his brother's hand
    on his shoulder with his own for several moments, then they nodded to each
    other and without word or indication of readiness, both turned their horses
    at once and set off for the hidden gate. They would not allow further harm
    to befall Legolas or his kingdom.
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    Elvish and notes:
    Adar: Father
    Peredhel: half-elf
    Yrch: Orc
    Dol Guldur: Evil citadel in southern Mirkwood.
    Please review *L* o.O I've never had this poor of a response
    to anything before. Do you guys *want* more of the story?
    


	4. Chapter 4


    Reviewer Responses!
    Thanks to everyone who commented! ^.^ I very muchly appreciate it. =) You guys
    are the best! Special thanks to everyone who read it on an ML and reviewed it
    again! ^^ I feel spiffy.
    The mystery keeps building from here!
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    Mirkwood's Ring: Chapter 4
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    The deepest part of the night had already fallen as the twin sons of Elrond
    crept towards the hidden entrance into Mirkwood's capital. The location of
    the secret gate appeared exactly like the surrounding rock spotted with moss
    and ferns, the only difference being the lure of enchantment which called to
    anyone who had been introduced to it and fit the spell's requirements. The
    twins headed unerringly for the concealed portal and as one they silently
    pricked their fingers on well used daggers and pressed the digits to the
    solid skin of the mountain.
    The noble elven blood in their veins called to the door's enchantments and
    when they felt their hands begin to seep into the stone, they wordlessly met
    each other's gaze and nodded, then stepped through the formerly unyielding
    rock wall. The expected tingle of enchantment hit both brothers and then a
    second chill alerted them to a change in the portals working, but by the
    then it was too late to do anything about it and they were through.
    They had no time to ponder the meaning of the alternation because before
    they had gone no more than two steps they heard a call of alarm from the
    tunnel just ahead of them. "He's left this door guarded!" Elladan gasped.
    "Legolas said this door was never guarded!" Elrohir exclaimed.
    "What are we to do? We can't harm other elves!" the older said, backing up
    the way they'd come.
    A cold voice stopped their retreat before they even had a chance to press
    their backs against the stone wall. "You will find no exit that way Elflings"
    The twins immediately recognized the voice of the woodland king though
    like the guards outside, it held an odd monotone underlay that they liked
    not at all. "-and I would advise you not to draw your weapons. You are
    outnumbered. You should have headed my gatemen."
    Thranduil appeared from out of the murk of the unlit hallway before them and
    his eyes were strangely cold. As far as they could tell in the gloom, he
    seemed to be dressed in flowing robes of dark blue and bedecked with many
    gems and jewelry of mithril and gold. "Bring them to the throne room and
    find my son." He gestured and more glassy-eyed soldiers made their way
    silently forward to surround the twins who saw no way to resist without
    harming the guards.
    "Thranduil! What is the meaning of this? What's happening here!" Elladan
    shrugged off the hands of the two soldiers who tried to take his arms. "I
    can walk just fine on my own thank you." he hissed at them.
    The king cast a cold glare over his shoulder at them as he had already begun
    making his way effortlessly through the darkness ahead of him as if it were
    lit bright as day. "Mirkwood's business was none of your concern, but now as
    you will be staying for a while, I suppose you will find out in time." With
    that, he said no more and continued on his way, instantly being consumed by
    the oppressive pitch blackness of the hallway.
    Elrohir exchanged an anxious glance with his brother as he allowed two of
    the soldiers to flank him and begin herding him in the direction Thranduil
    had gone. "I like this less and less 'Dan."
    Elladan could only nod as he followed suit. He guessed they would find out
    soon enough. Surely Legolas would be able to fill them in and get this
    worked out. If nothing else, surely a message could be sent to their father.
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    The throne room was cold and scarcely lit as the twins found themselves left
    alone before the King's large chair in the cavernous room. They stood in one
    of the only pools of torchlight besides the meager lights to either side of
    the throne and the odd lighting left most of the room in shadow. Though they
    could not see, they sensed the giant hall quickly filling up with eerily
    silent bodies. The elves of Mirkwood were usually a cheerful, rowdy people
    and the silence of so many of them gathered together would have utterly
    convinced the half-elves of the wrongness of the situation even had there
    been no other evidence.
    Sounds from the front of the room drew their attention away from the large
    crowd invisibly at their back as Thranduil's advisors and generals filed in
    to stand in their places around the dais. Elladan and Elrohir felt
    distinctly exposed and uncomfortable in the midst of so many people they
    could not see and could barely hear, especially as they had been relieved of
    their weapons before the guards had left them to stand waiting for their
    unwanted audience. The elves at the front of the room, though more visible,
    were no less menacing to the peredhel. Their gazes were as blank as the
    guards that had escorted them in and they gazed down at the two with
    unblinking cold stares and visible weapons at their hips.
    The quiet stalemate went on for several minutes before Thranduil and his son
    entered from behind a tapestry hung to the side of the great throne. The
    brothers gasped at Legolas's appearance, for he was drawn and looked as if
    he had neither slept nor eaten for quite some time. There was a small white
    bandage affixed to his left cheek and when he noticed the twins his eyes
    filled with sudden horror then resignation. His reaction baffled them, but
    they were at least a little relieved to see him alive and about; neither of
    them had had the heart to give voice to their worst fears regarding him, but
    at least his eyes were not dead and distant as everyone else's seemed to be
    to one degree or another.
    The continued silence drew on Elladan's frayed nerves and raising panic, and
    finally he couldn't help but speak, "What in Elbereth's name is going on
    here?! Legolas? What's wrong with everyone?" He decided he'd likely get more
    answers from his friend than from the silent multitude or the quietly
    judging advisors and their king.
    The prince's eyes grew even more saddened and he acted as if he desperately
    wanted to speak, but his lips did not part and not a sound issued from his
    throat. Finally he shook his head and lowered his face until the curtain of
    his unbraided hair hid his features. His father glanced at him coldly before
    finally deigning to speak to the unwanted visitors to his hall.
    "It is readily apparent that the two of you have none of your sire's vaunted
    wisdom. You were warned that no one that enters these gates may leave them
    again and so it shall be. You should not have come here and your Father was
    a fool to send you. I told him not to stick his nose in Mirkwood's business.
    It is a shame that you will now pay the price." His gaze was stern and
    his voice rang through the hall with a disturbing resonance.
    "We came only to visit Legolas as we have done many times!" Elrohir quickly
    rejoined.
    "You cannot keep us here, we are princes in our own right! Our father will
    not allow it!" Elladan added.
    "Do you presume to tell me, the king of these lands, what I can, and cannot
    do within my own realm? Especially when you were warned of the consequences
    of your actions?" The angry edge in Thranduil's voice seemed to cause the
    temperature to drop several degrees and the heavy shadows almost seemed to
    come alive around the twins. The complete lack of reaction from all of the
    other elves of the realm further added to the sense of dread that was
    constantly growing to huge proportions within the sons of Elrond. If this
    continued, their father was sure to sense their distress.
    "Will you bind us and throw us in your legendary dungeons like common
    criminals then?" the older boy retorted, his eyes darting in an attempt to
    meet the golden prince's still hidden gaze, but Legolas yet remained
    completely without a word. Evil crept through the room like a pervading mist
    and the brother's skin fairly crawled with its disgusting touch.
    "That will not be necessary." There was a note of finality in Thranduil's
    voice that scared Elrohir into startling slightly. "Try and leave if you
    will. No bonds of mine will keep you here, but you will find you cannot go
    far. I will let no one escape." Legolas shivered at the possessive tone of
    his father's voice but seemed to be unable to even edge away from the
    towering leader. When he finally raised his gaze back to the twins, they saw
    the beginnings of moisture in his eyes.
    "Why are you doing this? Can't you at least see what it's doing to your son?
    Elrohir could be silent on the matter of his friend's obvious misery no
    longer as his anxeity reached a peak. Their father would definitly sense their
    distress now.
    "Ah, yes. My son--" The King's voice caught there for a minute and he
    frowned, staring at nothing for a moment, then he shook his head as if to
    clear it, "--my son will fill you in on what you need to know to exist here
    for the foreseeable future." Legolas's eyes grew wide in startlement as he
    glanced sharply at his father in surprise.
    Elladan noted the prince's odd behavior and frowned, but continued to try
    and reason with the older of Mirkwood's royalty, while trying to hide his
    own fear, "Our Father will sense our distress! He will come seeking answers!
    Will you trap him here as well?"
    "If he is fool-hardy enough to pass my gates, yes." With that Thranduil and
    his advisors turned as one and began exiting the dais. "Speak to them
    Legolas." He absently called over his shoulder and the twins were completely
    unprepared for the reaction the command elicited in their sworn brother, but
    at least it took their minds off of the evil for a time.
    The Prince fell to his knees coughing and gasping, his hands flying
    automatically to his throat as he drew in great draughts of air. One hand
    fell to the ground to steady himself and the other pulled his loose hair
    back away from his face as the twins rushed to aide him. In the commotion
    the gathered commoners of Eryn Lasgalen had filed out leaving the three
    alone in the cavernous hall, and the nearly tangile dark power receeded with
    them. Legolas slowly regained himself as Elladan stroked his back soothingly
    and Elrohir took over the chore of holding his silken blond tresses back
    from his face. During the moments it took the archer to regain himself, the
    twins exchanged worried glances over his head.
    "Oh, my dear friends...you should not have come." Legolas's voice was dry
    and raspy from long disuse and the elder twin suddenly wished fervently he
    had kept his pack and water skin with him. The Prince raised his face up
    where the torchlight could caress his features so that he could more easily
    look at the dark-tressed twins. Elladan did not fail to notice spots of read
    appearing on the bandage upon his friend's cheek as if the wound, small as
    it must be to fit beneath such a small cloth, obviously bled through its
    dressings. Why was Legolas's elven healing preventing a tiny cut from
    clotting?
    Before he could comment on it, his brother spoke up from the blonde's right
    side as they carefully eased the much thinner elf into a more comfortable
    sitting position than the awkward kneeling the three had been doing. "We
    were worried for you and your realm mellon-nin. Adar said he received odd
    missives from your father. What is going on here, and what's happened to
    you?"
    Elladan felt a twinge of his twin's fear and anxiety on top of his own. "How
    could we not come to your aid? Please tell us what is going on."
    "...I hardly know where to start." Legolas's voice got a little better with
    use and he began to tell the story of his father's odd madness. "Adar had
    been growing more and more worried about the threats to our people. Many
    were the nights he and I talked privately of our fears, but he refused to
    listen to my counsel to seek the help of Imladris and Lothlorien. Just
    before things started going wrong and the wargs and spiders disappeared, he
    sent me to the borders for a week. I thought nothing of it at the time, you
    know how often I patrol with the other warriors, but when I got back, he had
    started to change." he lifted his hand to the now pink square of cloth on
    his cheek and winced a little. "he began to spend less and less time among
    the people and at his duties. He stopped leaving the palace and soon he
    seldom left his rooms. By this time we were all greatly confused by the
    quietness of the dark forces and so, though I did not want to leave Adar
    when he was so obviously going through something, I felt I needed to
    investigate. I also thought that without me there to shoulder the
    administrative burden, he would be forced to start socializing again."
    Elladan and Elrohir listened silently to their friends tale, occasionally
    offering an encouraging nod. They were eager to find out how this had led to
    the current situation and how it figured into the plight they had now found
    themselves in. They needed to get out, or at least to get a message to
    Rivendell. Elrond was sure to ride out to find them, and neither wanted to
    see their father caught in Mirkwood's web.
    Legolas continued, "I was not gone long before I received a summons from the
    council to return immediately to the capital. Instead of getting better,
    Father had gotten worse and they were at a loss. This place doesn't govern
    itself under the best of conditions and everyone was uneasy with the sudden
    and unexpected reprise from the fronts. I came back to find the castle dark
    and Adar completely confined to his chambers. He would see no one and went
    into odd violent fits when anyone tried to talk to him." He bit his lip for
    a moment the next part obviously painful for him to relate, then went on, "I
    went to speak with him, hoping I could comfort him or talk him out of
    whatever dark mood had possessed him since before my departure..."
    His voice trailed off and he coughed a bit more as if to clear his throat,
    but neither twin was blind to the emotion the prince was obviously fighting
    down and they offered their silent support even as Elladan murmured, "what
    then mellon?"
    "He struck me."
    The twins's eyes flew wide in shock. Elven parents never hit their children.
    Even having seen the king's madness, this new revelation stunned them.
    "I was knocked unconscious by the blow...It seemed almost as if he'd grown
    unnaturally strong. All I remember is the darkness of the room and the sting
    of his ring cutting my cheek," and here his hand reached once more to the
    small injury on his face, "and then my head must have struck the stones
    rather hard because it is all blurry after that."
    "And he has been like this since?" Elrohir's brow furrowed in imitation of
    his own sire's pensive look. "That must have been quite a while ago...why
    hasn't your wound healed, and how can he persist this way when he surely
    feels how it is hurting you?"
    Elladan carefully pealed away the cloth hiding the small gash and frowned.
    It looked as if it were new.
    "I do not know why the injury does not close, and he no longer seems to be
    sensitive to his paternal bond with me. It baffled the healers as well
    before they all became as you see everyone now...but as to the first
    question, no. Adar actually seemed to get better for a time after that. He
    was extremely sorry for what he'd done. I woke to him anxiously hovering
    over my beside and gripping my hand in the brightly lit healers hall. He
    begged my forgiveness and told me he loved me, even in front of all of the
    people going about their business there! I was dumfounded as you can well
    imagine. I know he cares for me, but he is intensly private about his
    emotions. I can count the number of times he's said so in private on one
    hand, and I had never seen him so emotional in front of so many who aren't
    close to him.
    "Of course I forgave him, admittedly, I was a bit embarrassed at having been
    caught so flat footed as to have been knocked senseless by a single blow in
    the first place, and we both struggled to put it behind us. By the time it
    came around to send out the monthly report, he seemed himself again, though
    he never did move back into his old rooms, and if it weren't for this odd
    injury, we probably all would have been able to forget it had happened."
    "I cannot fathom him hitting you, and you forgiving him so easily, but
    obviously something must have changed. He is certainly nothing like himself
    now." Elrohir moved around to join Elladan on the left side of Legolas as
    the older twin gently tilted the prince's head to get a better look at the
    old, but as new, cut marring the otherwise perfect features in the abysmal
    lighting of the great hall.
    They both frowned and tisked over it as only healers can, but Legolas, being
    used to such actions of their parts, continued his narrative, "Indeed,
    It was as if whatever darkness had taken him was damned up inside while he
    struggled to act normally and the pressure became too much. It poured out of
    him in a torrent and before anyone knew what was happening our door had been
    ensorcelled and we were trapped within these lands. Not an elf has been able
    to pass beyond Mirkwood's borders after they've once been within the city
    since that day. We could get no messages out for everyone who entered became
    trapped as well. Slowly there were fewer and fewer of us attempting to find
    a solution. I think I am the only one with my wits left in all the great
    wood. Even the patrol I witnessed passing outside the gates yesterday was
    full of glassy-eyed individuals and I am certain their captain at least has
    not been within these doors yet."
    "That is truly disturbing news indeed..." Elrohir murmured. Elladan had sat
    back on his heels having come up with no solution to Legolas's wound. His
    brother soon joined him as they once again devoted their whole attention to
    the prince's tale.
    "Father had returned to his dark state of before the...incident...but for
    one thing. He was no longer isolationist. With more and more of my people
    walking around like so many dead puppets, Adar no longer confined himself to
    his rooms. His violence and anger increased and he had nearly all the lights
    doused." Legolas shuddered, "I hate this darkness, it closes in around you
    as if alive and hungering for your soul. I cannot find my way in it as
    everyone else seems to be able to do and I feel as if the palace is closing
    in on me, but I cannot abandon my father when he is like this. Sometimes, as
    I'm sure you noticed, he seems as if he is trying to fight whatever has come
    over him, but it never lasts long. I have been trying desperately to find
    the cause of all of this strangeness, but I am losing hope. It begins to
    weigh on you after a while, the pervading sense of evil and the utter
    blackness. I am a warrior, I know nothing of defeating dark spells; I can no
    longer sleep and I have found little time for it or eating since I began my
    search. What's more, Adar has become even more possessive of all of his
    things and of all of his people. I, the prince and his son, can get no where
    near his rooms or his person and haven't been able to do so for two weeks
    now."
    "What happened two weeks ago?" Elladan prompted, "does it have anything to
    do with why you were so ill as he left here?"
    Legolas nodded, "I confronted him with the harm that's obviously been done
    to our people and the foul changes that have come over him. I was worried and
    desperate and though I had tried to speak with him many times about these
    things, I had never had much success. Often he had grown angry with me over
    it until I could tell he was avoiding me for fear of what he might do, but I
    had no other recourse."
    "He did not strike you again." Elladan knew that with a certainty brought
    about by the empathy in his genes. "he hasn't raised a hand to you but only
    that once." Elrohir nodded in agreement of his twin's assesment.
    "No, he has not so much as raised his voice to me since this." Legolas's
    fingers came away wet with the blood that had begun dripping down his cheek
    and he sighed realizing he'd probably smeared it across his features.
    "Don't touch it, you'll spread infection." the older twin reflexively
    snapped, his healers training slipping from his tongue without thought and
    Legolas actually grinned a little at the ordinariness of their mothering.
    Elrohir pulled a clean kerchief from within his tunic and carefully pressed
    it to the cut. "'Dan's right, but please go on. What happened when you
    confronted him?"
    The Prince sighed, "All he said was 'Silence.' His voice was so cold and I
    felt as if it bit into my skin and penetrated to my very bones."
    Elladan quirked a dark eyebrow, "And?"
    "And I had been unable to make a sound ever since. I could not communicate
    at all. If I sat down to write something, words and letters left my mind! I
    could not make noise by tapping, for my fingers would not obey me when I
    would direct them thus, and the same with my feet. I could not even make
    myself wear anything that might jingle. A feeling of suffocation was growing
    in me until I felt as if each word i tried to speak was blocking my throat."
    He shuddered in remembered horror, "I do not know what I would have done if
    he had not revoked it. I fear I was going mad."
    Both twin's eyes were wide with sympathetic horror as some of their friend's
    remembered panic made itself felt within them. They exchanged glances, then
    rose in tandem and each offered the prince a hand up. "Let us see to your
    wound in the healing halls and get you something to eat--"
    "--You look as if you have surely been without sustenance too long" Elrohir
    continued his brother's sentence.
    "And then we will discuss this further." they finished together.
    Legolas looked up at them and shook his head, the twin's odd moments of
    total synchronism always left him feeling a little bemused. "I have had
    plenty of time to look at this situation from every possible angle. There is
    nothing we can do from within these walls. If there were, I would have
    discovered it by now."
    "That is the greif speaking," Elrohir sighed, "you are
    certainly showing signs of it, but Adar will certainly be on his way now.
    Maybe we should focus on a way to keep him outside the walls and yet let him
    know what is going on."
    The Prince accepted the offered hands up and levered himself off the ground
    with the brother's help. "You will find you can't make yourself write down
    what's going on, and there's no one left who will give him the message. Adar
    will most likely let Elrond in without giving him a warning, now that he's
    got you he can't leave your Father free to stir up problems against him, and
    he will know when the Lord arrives before we possibly can. Whatever he's
    done to the gates has left him in tune with the comings and goings of
    everyone in the woodlands."
    "Hmm...well, at least it is a place to start." Elladan sighed, "I have a
    feeling we will need something to keep our minds off of the oppressive
    darkness, and I will not let Father fall into Thranduil's trap." his voice
    lowered with conviction. "We must find a way to keep anyone else from
    getting hurt here and find a way to free your people and your father."
    Legolas nodded and began leading the way to the healing halls, via the
    kitchen. "Perhaps with more of us, we will be able to think of something I
    could not on my own." for the first time that night, his voice held a note
    of hope.
    Elrohir slung an arm around his friend and Elladan did the same. They would
    see to him, and somehow, they would keep anyone else, especially their father
    from falling into this mess. Elrond had more than enough on his shoulders
    already and they knew he would find a way to feel responsible for all of
    this. They had at least a couple of weeks to figure out what to do before
    their father arrived. In the meantime, they had plenty of other troubles to
    occupy them. "So tell me, has any other injury you've sustained since the
    cut failed to heal....?"
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    In Rivendell, Elrond bolted from upright as a feeling of great unease for
    his oldest offspring washed over him and ruined his slumber. He waited
    several moments for the horrible feeling to pass, but it did not abate. He
    quite frequently got flashes of dark premonition from the twins as they were
    constantly throwing themselves into danger, but they always swiftly
    extracted themselves from it, or it naturally passed. When this failed to do
    so, he knew there was something terribily wrong and his heart lurched
    painfully within his chest.
    Quickly he slid into the burgundy robe he'd left folded neatly on the chair
    beside his bed and pulled the silken cord by the door to summon a servant.
    When the bleary eyed girl arrived a few minutes later, Elrond was already
    plaiting his hair and getting ready to fasten on his sword. "Wake Glorfindel
    and tell him to meet me by the stables with provisions for a rapid journey
    to Mirkwood, and get a message to the guard--" No, damn, if he took guards
    into Mirkwood he might be seen as a threat and while he felt Thranduil was
    the danger hanging over his sons, he couldn't be certain...Galadriel would
    kill him if he started something with the woodland king. Besides, it would
    be easier for two to pass through the borders and do any sneaking that might
    be necessary, and if whatever was happening there was too big for the
    wielder of Vilya and the slayer of a Balrog to handle, then a few extra
    guards would not likely make any difference. "--scratch that. Tell
    Glorfindel we'll be riding alone and that I'll explain on the way."
    The girl nodded, now considerably more alert, and bolted for the seneschal's
    rooms. Elrond quickly finished his own preparations and then headed to wake
    Erestor and let him know he'd be in charge for a while. He prayed nothing
    horrible had happened to his twins. All he had been able to get was a sense
    of enchantment that truly frightened him, entrapment, and deep-seeded
    *wrongness*. He very much disliked being in the dark about anything, but
    when that lack of knowledge threatened his children it was nearly enough to
    send him into a panic.
    Little under two hours later the Lord of Rivendell and his reborn companion
    galloped away from Imladris leaving directions to send for aid to
    Mithrandir and Lorien within a month unless they received a missive
    otherwise. They took with them only what they could lightly carry and a
    carefully hooded falcon to use as a messenger bird if the need arose. A dark
    cloud of worry followed them over the Bruinen, for the sense of evil and
    danger around his sons had not lessened at all in the time it took to make
    ready. Each lord kept quiet as they focused their thoughts solely on hoping
    they would not be too late.
    ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
    Elvish:
    Adar: Father
    Mellon/-nin: Friend/my friend
    Peredhel: Half-elf
    


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Mirkwood's Ring: Part 5 of ? In which it's generally realized that   
bad things are about to happen.   
Author: Shi Ryuu (shiryuu@hiasobi.org)   
Pairings:   
Characters: Elrond, Legolas, Thranduil, and Glorfindel and the twins to   
varying degrees   
Rating: PG 13-R (violence)   
Setting: AU pre-LOTR   
Summary: There are strange happenings in Mirkwood.   
Archive: Err, I don't know why you'd want to, but sure, if you ask.   
Category: Angst, violence, Legolas torture. You've been warned.   
Disclaimer: Not mine. If the characters and setting were mine, I wouldn't   
be typing it on a computer that freezes every three seconds. ;P You can try   
to sue if you want, but all I have is this crappy compy and a few very used   
art supplies.   
Author's Notes: Keep in mind that I'm an artist and make absolutely no   
claims of any writing talent whatsoever! This is my first attempt at LOTR   
fanfiction, and my first attempt at fanfiction at all for several years. ^^   
;; Its been at least four years since I've even attempted anything but an   
academic paper. You've been warned. Also, this in an AU. I've read LOTR,   
Hobbit, Silm. UT, LT, and some of HoME, but it's been quite a while on all   
of them but LOTR. Feel free to correct me on any obscure things I get wrong   
cannon-wise, but I'm not trying horribly hard here. =) Fanfiction is   
fanfiction, not cannon and I have no delusions of living up to Tolkien's   
work. I will occasionally use elvish because I'm a linguist at heart and   
it's easier sometimes than reaching for a thesaurus, but I'll put the   
definitions at the bottom. =) Okay, I'm done. You can read the fic now.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
A solemn frown marred Legolas's brow as he carefully contemplated his   
companion across the table. His hand was held poised for action, awaiting   
only his decision; his elegant fingers twitched slightly in anticipation of   
movement. Slowly he edged his arm forward…   
  
"This is hardly chess Legolas. Just pick one!" Elladan finally quipped,   
looking annoyed at his friend's indecisiveness.   
  
The prince sighed and drew one of the carefully splayed paper cards at   
random from the older twin's hand and turned to look at it. "Argh! I got   
the Orc again!" he exclaimed in disgust, hurriedly shoving it into his own   
considerably larger stack of cards and turning around so Elladan couldn't   
see where he put it in the mix. The peredhel just snickered at him and   
carefully rearranged his own hand. He'd won the last three games of Old Orc   
  
  
Elrohir paced Elrond-like in front of the table and threw his brother and   
friend a dark glance. "How can you two calmly play a stupid child's game at   
a time like this? Legolas's father has been taken over by dark forces and   
ours is on his way into Thranduil's clutches!"   
  
"You weren't complaining before you started loosing." Elladan grinned, but   
his brother failed to see the humor.   
  
The prince of Mirkwood sighed and laid his cards face down on the table   
before standing and approaching Elrohir. "I know you are anxious brother.   
Believe me, I have been stuck worrying here far longer than you have.   
Pacing will get you no where and we have been trying endlessly to think of a   
solution. We have discussed this. As long as all of the guards are under   
this dark spell, we can get no where near my father without harming another   
elf, and your father is still outside these walls somewhere; the enchantment   
has been altered so that we cannot leave the city, but we are unhurt and so   
is everyone else. We can do nothing until something changes. It is hard,   
believe me, I know better than anyone, but we must wait."   
  
The younger twin did not so easily let go of his anger, "Father must be very   
close by now! There must be something we can do! I will not sit idly by as   
you two are doing and just wait for him to fall into this accursed trap!" he   
snarled.   
  
"'Ro!" Elladan snapped, "This is not our fault and Legolas is right, we're   
so turned around from thinking in circles that we are getting nowhere. An   
hour or two to clear our minds will let us come at this from a fresh   
perspective. Getting querulous with us is not going to help either of our   
fathers."   
  
"No! We will loose Adar as we lost Mother and we will all die in this   
lightless horrible suffocating rat's nest of caves!"   
  
"Elrohir!" Legolas began but was cut off.   
  
"I will not be silent if that is what you are asking! I feel as if this   
place is closing in on us! You are the prince of this city! You must know   
a way out of here, or a way around the enchantments! You, yourself said the   
magic keeping us here is part of this place, not something whatever   
Thranduil has is doing!"   
  
"I am working on it, but I am not King! Only my father knows the deepest   
secrets of the forest!" Legolas in fact had nearly worked out how to get a   
few people out of the city, but it would be very risky and he did not know   
if it would work. Even if he could get two or three out, he could not go   
with them. He would not leave his father here alone to his madness, but he   
could not open the wards without the king's knowledge. He wasn't quite   
ready to see what the madness might make his father do to him for that kind   
of betrayal. He was not sure his soul could take the heartbreak. He'd been   
mulling over the feel of the energies of the palace the whole time they   
played. The twin's senses operated on a different level than that and so   
they were unaware of his efforts. They often could tell things that he   
could not, sudden premonitions of the future or insight into someone's   
feelings or character, but there were some situations in which his   
perceptions were superior. In a few hours, he would know for sure if escape   
were possible for the others. He would not bring it up until he knew for   
sure. Elrohir was showing definite signs of claustrophobia and panic in the   
absence of light and nature, and Legolas did not want to be pushed to a   
hasty decision which might cost all of them their lives.   
  
While Legolas had been thinking, Elladan had stood and quietly embraced his   
brother, his nearness used to calm the rising fear and hysteria of his   
sibling. Together they spoke silently in a way that Legolas could not   
understand, but whatever they were saying was evidentially doing the trick.   
Elrohir's posture slowly relaxed and within moments he was returning the   
embrace of his twin with bright tears in his eyes.   
  
The Prince was moved by the display. He had not seen either half-elf cry   
since Celebrian had sailed for the West and it effected him greatly.   
Carefully, hoping he was not intruding, he approached them and placed a hand   
on either twin's shoulder. With eerie synchronicity they turned their heads   
to meet his steady gaze. "I swear to you both, on my Kingdom, that nothing   
here will harm your Father. I will do whatever is necessary to see that you   
do not lose another parent. I swear it, on the Valar." He was unaware of   
how his eyes blazed brilliant blue with his pronouncement or the wave of   
premonition that washed over his friends at the utter conviction in his   
voice. "I will see you all out of here safely." His melodic voice rang   
oddly in the dark stillness of the room they had claimed and the torches   
sputtered on the walls.   
  
The twins opened their embrace to accept him into the circle of their arms   
and their brotherhood. "Whatever happens, we will weather it together."   
Legolas was not sure which twin had spoken, but he felt the warmth of their   
connection envelope him as it never had before and for a time, all three   
found a semblance of peace.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
"I like this not." Glorfindel turned his golden head towards his friend and   
lord atop the blood bay ridding beside his own white mount. "Mirkwood is   
never this quiet. We have seen no patrols, no messengers, not even a hunter   
The birds are silent in the trees, if they are even still there, and no   
animals scurry through the accursedly thick brush of this place!"   
  
Elrond frowned and nodded, his own sharp eyes scanning their surroundings   
for signs of life other than the plants and trees. Nothing but insects   
filled the air and they swarmed on the two travelers as if they had been   
deprived of all other sustenance for long ages past. Glorfindel did not   
suffer as much from their attentions as the peredhel he rode with, but both   
of their mounts were considerably annoyed with the nuisances. "Would that   
either of us were a wood elf. The trees beg to be listened to, but I cannot   
understand their language."   
  
"We will know soon enough I suppose." the blond replied. "We are less than   
an hour from the gates if I remember correctly. It has been a long time   
since I traveled to this part of the wood."   
  
"We cannot arrive too soon. My sons' danger has grown neither worse, nor   
better in all the days it took us to travel here, but I cannot help but   
sense that things will soon come to a head. We must arrive before something   
changes, or we will be too late."   
  
"A premonition?" Glorfindel frowned and ran a hand soothingly over the mane   
of his mount.   
  
Elrond shook his head, "Nothing so clear as that...just a feeling of dread   
that has been growing over me since we departed." His horse sidled   
nervously at an imagined movement to its left and the lord of Imladris   
quietly soothed it. The animals had become steadily move agitated as they   
approached Thranduil's Keep and it wasn't just the bugs. They sensed   
something that the two Noldor could not. Again Elrond cursed the lack of   
sindar or woodland blood in either of their veins.   
  
They rode in silence until the great carved gates became barely visible in   
the distance. It was obvious as they waited out of sight, that no one came   
in or went out of the castle and that the two guards atop the structure were   
not made less vigilant by the lack of activity. That, in itself, set Elrond   
s nerves on edge. Something was strange with the gatemen.   
  
Glorfindel voiced his concern before he could put words to his fears, "I   
hate to add to this dilemma, but I think whatever has effected Thranduil and   
threatens your sons has also some control over Mirkwood's people."   
  
"I feel the same. The men on the gates are far too vigilant for this amount   
of activity. Wood elves are notorious for their keen eyes and sharp watch,   
but in this quiet surely not even they could remain that still and watchful.   
No living being could, and they do not move as they should." His companion   
nodded in agreement as they watched the very slightly stilted movements of   
the soldiers atop the huge doors. So slight was the difference that most   
would probably have not noticed, but Elrond and Glorfindel were hardly the   
average individuals, and they had more years of experience at such   
perception than Elladan and Elrohir put together.   
  
"We have to assume that no one in the city save my sons is free of this   
shadow. I would know if they were taken as such, and their wills are still   
their own."   
  
Glorfindel nodded his agreement. "How shall we handle this?"   
  
"I would not have both of us trapped in that stone citadel in case whatever   
has prevented someone from sending word to anyone outside should befall us   
as well. I will ride out to the gates and demand entrance to see my sons.   
You will wait here for a full day, and if I do not return within the   
allotted time, you will know to send for aid and try to get us out for I   
will have been taken as well."   
  
Glorfindel frowned, "I do not like this plan, my friend. I cannot let you   
go in there alone."   
  
"No harm has come to my sons yet, Glorfindel. I must see that it is kept   
that way. There is no assurance that they will let you in and if they do   
not, then I would have to try, and they would know we are both here. I do   
not wish to show them all of our hand, small as it is."   
  
"Why not send for help now? This situation is certainly dire." the older   
blond elf frowned at his lord and soothed the ruffled feathers of the hawk   
jessed to his gloved hand.   
  
"I still have hopes that this situation can be salvaged without bloodshed or   
undue attention. It does not seem that he has actually hurt anyone yet   
which tells me Thranduil's madness might be cured. I will go and see if my   
talents are sufficient to end this before we do something that might touch   
off another war. Thranduil's people outnumber ours and Lothlorien's put   
together. Even if they are bespelled, that does not speak well of the   
consequences of seeming a threat. We have far too little information on   
whatever is going on in there."   
  
Glorfindel sighed, but was forced to concur. "I cannot help but have   
serious misgivings about this."   
  
"I know, but I think it the only option." Carefully, Elrond removed Vilya   
from his finger and it immediately became visible to his seneschal's sight.   
"Hold this in trust for me. I would not see it fall to whatever evil is in   
that palace."   
  
His companion's eyes widened, "My Lord! Surely--"   
  
"No Glorfindel. Take it. I do not need to tell you that you should not   
wear it, or think to use it. I trust you with this and I know you will see   
it safely returned to me when I leave those gates in a few hours with my   
sons."   
  
He nodded and accepted with obvious trepidation, the ring Elrond offered to   
him. "I hope it is so my Lord."   
  
Elrond returned the nod and checked his saddle bags and weapons. He stared   
hard at the gates for several moments, as if trying to see through them, and   
then he steeled himself and rode out. He would find his sons and bring them   
safely home. He would not loose them as he had lost their mother.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Within the stone city that had become a prison, Thranduil looked up from his   
careful perusal of his accumulated horde. What little light he allowed in   
the chamber glinted oddly off of his jewels and his eyes. "Something   
powerful comes this way. I want it. It will be mine." He muttered in   
fierce possessiveness to the still dank air as he habitually rubbed at his   
ring with his thumb. The guards at the door made no move, their dull eyes   
staring unseeingly straight ahead.   
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   
  
Elvish:   
Adar -- Father   
Peredhel -- Half-elf   
  
  
  
Baseball is wrong. A man with four balls cannot walk.   
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

Okay, here's chapter 6.  I got off my lazy butt and uploaded it.  I have NO idea what went wrong with the first 4 chapters, they all were fine for weeks and now, suddenly, the paragraphing has disappeared.  Oh yes.  I do love this website.  Grr.  Anyway, hopefully that's fixed.  Thanks muchly to the reviewer that pointed out the format raping.  I really have no idea how that happened and it ticks me off since that's one of my biggest peeves in fics.  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Elrond Half-Elven rode determinately towards the great gates of Eryn

Lasgalen. The sun, where it was allowed to filter through the thick branches

overhead, glinted off the simple silver circlet he wore at his brow as a

symbol of his rank and off of the small studs of steel which dotted his

leather over-tunic. Beneath that he wore a simple shirt of burgundy caught

at the wrists and up his forearm by finely wrought bracers. His legs were

encased in fine breeches which while rich, were also serviceable, and

elegant leather boots dyed to match his shirt encased his calves. He had

discarded his robes of state for clothing more suitable for long traveling,

but he looked no less stately as he paused his horse in front of the giant

portals.

The guards looked coolly down at him, but made no sound, and before he could

properly think of a reply to their lack of challenge, the intricately carved

doors were swinging silently open on invisible hinges. Wordlessly, for it

seemed oddly wrong to break the eerie quiet of the place, Elrond dismounted

and sent his horse back into the woods. He would not need it within the

close confines of Mirkwood's palace, and he did not want the animal trapped

within if they had to make a quick escape. The horse was elven trained as

were all his family's horses and would come to a whistle from its owner even

if it did not find its way back to where Glorfindel was hiding.

The seemingly soulless eyes of the watch followed Imladris's lord into the

dark cavern, and then the gates swung slowly shut behind him. There would be

no going back now. He felt a tingle of enchantment touch him with the

closing of the doors that he assumed was whatever had taken over the rest of

the populace. Its feel was not unwholesome, but before he could puzzle out

the ramifications of that, he was met by the king himself and over twenty of

his guardsmen.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Legolas, Elladan, and Elrohir were standing in various stages of tension as

they once again went over all the facts and tried to come up with a plan of

escape. Legolas stood a bit more peevishly than the twins as they made their

by now routine fuss over the still unhealed cut on his cheek and tried to

convince them that they should go over the library's older scrolls once more.  Many of them they had discarded as unreadable during their last

search--Thranduil kept far worse care of his books than he did of his

gems--but the twins were not eager to wade through moldy illegible papers

again just yet. This conversation was proving just as fruitless as all the

previous ones as ten soldiers who appeared without warning to surround them

seemed to materialize out of the gloom of the chamber. None of the three

nobles sensed their arrival. Before any of them could make a move to defend

themselves the guards moved with speed unheard of, even for elves, and all

three of them found swords at their throats.

"Wha--?" Legolas began, but the point of the weapon was shoved up harder

against the vulnerable part of his jaw beneath his chin, and his head was

forced up lest the weapon draw blood. He found it impossible to speak from

such a position and when he managed to maneuver himself slightly to see what

was going on with his friends the involuntary gasp that left his lips caused

the blade to lightly pierce his flesh. The twins had been forced to the

floor with the mutual threat of each other's lives hanging over their heads

and there they were gagged and bound with all the skill of the woodland

elves' knots. It became obvious to the prince that the gags had been covered

with some direvitive of the stuff they used in the river to make people

sleep when the two began to go completely limp and ceased to struggle at all

and the distinctive pungent odor of it made him feel slightly woozy as well.

The soldiers who surrounded them wore the empty eyes of all of the populace

who had been somehow corrupted by Thranduil's madness. If anything, Legolas

would have said they looked worse. There was a frightening soullessness to

them and they no longer glowed at all in the darkness of the halls. He knew

it would be pointless to try to reason with them in that state, and he found

himself sighing in resignation and casting worried glances at his downed

friends.

The guards did not bind Legolas, and they said not a word to their prisoners

or each other as they efficiently picked up Elladan and Elrohir's unmoving

forms and prodded the heir to their kingdom forward at multiple sword points.  He dared not try anything with the brothers so completely incapacitated and

at the soldier's mercy, and so the archer prince was forced to docilely go

along towards his father's throne room.

Elladan and Elrohir were dumped unceremoniously on one of the lower steps of

the dais as the King and a troop of guards entered the great hall. Legolas

felt despair and his sworn oath prick at his heart as he noticed Elrond

Half-Elven escorted as he, himself had been, in the midst of the large

company of his father's soldiers. He instinctually began to move forward

towards the obviously angry and worried lord but he was stopped by his

father and his barked "Don't move." and then a sense of extreme panic and

total paralysis tethered him to his spot as surely as any mithril chains

might have.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Elrond felt the evil in the room grow exponentially as Tharanduil pointed at

Legolas and gave his simple demand. He knew the young elf could be no other

than the king's only son by the circlet of state he worn on his brow and the

caste of his features. He had his father's white gold hair which flowed down

his back in a long silken wave that glimmered even in this poor lighting and

the striking bone-structure that seemed to be the signature Oropher's line.

Combined with the stunning blue of his eyes that could only have come from

his mother's line and the odd nobility that shone in his bearing, it was

obvious that he could be no one else. Elrond also noted, with a spark of

hope, that the boy was not held in the same ruthless grip as the rest of his

people.

The lord of Imladris was brought up just short of the dais by his guards as

the king took the steps up to sit upon his throne. He'd been met at the

gates by the madman who had demanded he submit if he wished to see his sons.

With trepidation and hope that this could be worked out without harm to

anyone, he had reluctantly allowed himself to be led into the dark cavernous

room like a common prisoner. His willingness to comply abruptly dissolved

into instant battle fury as his eyes traveled down to the floor in front of

the giant carved chair that the mad king now occupied. His sons lay

unconscious and cruelly bound and though he could sense no great harm to

them, his parental link flared and he suddenly found himself twisting out of

the grip of his guard. A well practiced move disarmed the soldier and Elrond

thanked the Valar that he had not allowed his warrior's skills to wane in

the years since he had last seen battle.

Before he could further move to free his sons he found himself suddenly

completely incapable of motion, arrested by the same command that had been

directed at Legolas a few moments earlier.

"What have you done to my sons you self-righteous bastard!" the peredhel

impotently seethed as the soldier retook his weapon and three more wrestled

his suddenly heavy body to his knees and arranged him as they wanted him. He

distantly felt his hands being bound behind his back and he was even more

distantly aware of the ache where they had been none to gentle in getting

him to kneel on the hard stone floors. His knees would undoubtedly be

bruised, but he was hardly aware of that as he struggled desperately to do

something--anything besides calmly allow them to secure him at wrist and

ankle.

"They sleep only." Thranduil coldly replied to Elrond's query his face

showing no emtion at all.

"Why have you bound them and I thus? I demand that you allow my sons and I

to leave this instant. Undo whatever you have done to me!"

"No one who enters my gates may leave my realm again. They, and now you, are

mine. I can keep whatever is mine, however I like it."

"You have no right--!"

"They were warned the consequences of entering here and choose to disregard

it." The king's voice was empty.

Conversely, Elrond's speech was full of emotion and distantly he noted that

the lord of Mirkwood was as taken by this thing as his subjects. "You cannot

possess another elf nor keep anyone here without reason and against their

will! Besides, I was not so warned upon my arrival, yet you bind me before

you! I, another elf lord, who has been your ally and done nothing to warrant

such treatment! How do you justify your actions?"

Thranduil blinked a moment, then shrugged, "I can, and there is no one who

can stop me."

"Father! You cannot do this! To imprison Lord Elrond will bring the other

two kingdoms down upon our people, surely you cannot be that far gone into

madness--" Legolas interjected into the stunned silence brought about by his

father's simple, but true, statement."

"Silence, Legolas." The king cut him off before he could finish and the

prince found himself again struck mute. Panic nearly overwhelmed him. Not

again, he could not do this again...

"Whatever you wrote to me about has obviously taken control of you

Thranduil! Look what it has caused you to do to your own son!" Legolas's

distress was easy to see to everyone in the room as he tried to master the

dread and hysteria that wanted to rise up in him. He could not move, nor

speak and all he could think about was his father leaving him here, in the

room so full of creeping evil, a living statue, until he died of grief or

lack of nourishment. He knew his spirit was fragile from the long weeks

spent without sunlight or wind under the ponderous weight of this palace,

and he feared he was no longer nearly strong enough to deal with the

betrayal of the father he loved so much.

The pain in his son's eyes no longer had any effect on the king. He showed

not even the moment's hesitation he had displayed upon the twin's arrival.

That is none of your concern, Peredhel." He gracefully rose from his throne

and paced down the dais with the nearly boneless feline grace which was

another trademark of his line. Elrond was reminded of a golden mountain lion

on the prowl as he glided towards him in the torchlight. "You brought a

thing of great power into my woods, Peredhel. I sensed it clearly for a

moment, but now it had disappeared from me. I want it, and if you give it to

me, I might be persuaded to let your sons go."

Elrond's eyes widened and he once more tried to struggle against the

paralysis and bonds that held all but his face immobile. Thranduil had

sensed Vilya! He could not be allowed control of an elven ring, and in his

madness, he most assuredly could not be trusted to let Elladan and Elrohir

go! How had he sensed her in the first place? The son of Oropher definitely

should not have had that kind of perception! Only another wearer should have

been able to—

Suddenly Elrond knew exactly what had happened and what the king had found

and set upon his own people. He must have somehow gotten hold of one of the

dwarven rings! The darkness, the hording possessiveness of everything,

including his people, and lack of need for the touch of starlight and nature--everything now made sense. The fool had tried to harness a dwarven ring and

it had worked alright. The power had driven the darkness from the land and

replaced it with its own. Once the evil was gone, the covettess nature of

the ring would not allow Thranduil to take it off, and now it had control of

all the huge land of Mirkwood and all of her people. Now that he knew what

to look for, he could clearly see the dark stone set in purest mithril

sitting docilely upon the other's finger.

"You fool! You've found a Dwarven ring! How could you use something so

corrupted by Sauron's evil!"

For the first time since the audience had begun, Thranduil showed emotion,

Its MINE! You cannot have it! For centuries have held it safe, kept it close-- too scared to use its awesome power because of the cowardly words of you

and the rest of your arrogant council! I am not cowed any longer! You drove

me to use it! You and Lorien with whatever protects your realms that would

be peaceful anyway, and me with mine beset by evil from all sides! You don't

know what it's like to fear for your son's life on your own borders, nay,

within very sight of your castle! But I will never know that fear again. My

ring keeps him here. Keeps him safe! My ring protects him and everything

else that is mine! No one will ever take something of mine from me again...I

will rend and torment and keep in everlasting pain anyone who tries to take

what is mine...They will know suffering such as no other elf could divine,

my ring will help me....yes. We won't loose anything more of ours..."

Legolas's eyes were squeezed tightly shut at the sudden revelation of the

depths of his father's decent from the realm of sanity. There was clearly no

choice. If he were given the ability to move again, he would get Elrond and

his sons away from here and hope they could find help. He knew of no force

that could overcome one of the rings of power, save another ring, and he

knew not where any of the others were, or even if they still existed. He had

heard that the elven rings were uncorrupted yet, but who had them and why

would they help Mirkwood now? Despair threatened to send him back into the

state of panic he had managed to fight his way out of, but he resolutely

held it back. Maybe Mithrandir could help. The old wizard would surely not

leave his people in this state... Legolas knew he would probably not survive

the ring's wrath at loosing Elrond and whatever he had that it wanted, but

one life for many was hardly even a choice when that one life was his own.

Elrond's quiet and now quite emotionless voice rang into his thoughts and

made him open his eyes once more. For a moment he was startled by the

blankness of the other's face and feared he'd somehow fallen under the

dwarven ring's sway, but he noticed the odd tension and a flash of something

behind the lord's eyes which told him that it was a blankness of carefully

held control and an emotionlessness of one who knows one is dealing with

madness and so knows feelings will not aid him. "It has completely taken you." The words rang like the toll of a death bell in the practically empty

stone hall and seemed to hang themselves like a banner before Legolas's eyes

There was no emotion in the voice, and so there was no hope in the words.

Thranduil only shrugged. He seemed to have regained himself, or the ring had

regained him. Either way, he was back to the cold statuesque being who had

escorted Elrond into these halls. "Where is the thing of power you brought

with you?"

The kneeling peredhel said nothing. His lips as unmoving as the forced

paralysis of the rest of his body. He would not give up Vilya to this

monster in the elf lord's body. They would just have to endure until

Glorfindel could bring help.

Thranduil took the few remaining strides forward that brought him right up

to where Elrond knelt and he cruelly gripped his chin and forced his head up, "You will speak."

The prisoner now knew that if the king only knew what to ask, he could be

compelled to answer, but there was no power in the command and so he kept

his mouth shut. Speaking might inadvertently lend him clues or draw his

attention to the two helpless twins still laying insensible at the foot of

the throne.

"It is mine Elrond! It is in my woods! Give it to me!"

He remained as unmoving as ever.

An animalistic snarl issued from the king's throat. "Fine, I can tell you do

not have it with you now, but it is near. You will tell me where it is, and

until you do. You will suffer what I promised for anyone who would keep

something of mine from me." The cold proclamation sent a thrill of dread

through the half-elf's spine, but he had known great pain in his life. He

would hold out until Glorfindel arrived with help. He would have to.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Elvish:

Peredhel -- Half-elf


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Mirkwood's Ring: Part 7 of 13 The great escape

Author: Shi Ryuu

Website: www . artisticentropy . com

Thranduil swept from the room with the same feline grace he had used on his entrance. "See to the twin's, Legolas. I don't want them here when I return, but you will not unbind them." He tossed over his shoulder as he passed through the large stone arch leading to the hallways which would take him to his rooms.

'Probably to change clothing so he doesn't spoil his fine silks with my blood.' Elrond thought morosely. His eyes flicked back to the dais from the king's retreating back as Legolas collapsed coughing from the release of the ring's directives on his body. Elrond could sympathize as a similar, though unworded release threatened to topple his own bound form unceremoniously on his nose. The bonds at his wrists and ankles ironically served to keep him from that indignity. The guards remained just as they were for several moments after their lord had left, then they all moved to leave as one, probably to set up for the upcoming bloody spectacle from some unvoiced command of the dwarven ring.

The lord of Imaldris's eyes roved to his own poor sons, still in their cruel sleep at the foot of the throne; Legolas seemed to have collected his limbs and muscles back into some semblance of his own control, and he moved to check on them.

"Are they well?" His voice was a bit harsher than he had intended and the prince's head jerked up in immediate response.

"They sleep. It is something like what is in the River, but not so strong. They will wake soon I think...I...I have done all I could to keep them safe here. I am sorry it has come to this." Elrond was struck by the heartbroken tone in the admittedly very melodic voice of the blonde noble.

"I am sorry I spoke harshly. I did not mean to cast blame on you. They came on my own behest." The Lord spoke this time more evenly, "I spoke with a father's fear." His heart lurched in painful anxiety over his sons even as he spoke. Neither twin stirred, though, as the archer said, they both seemed to be healthy.

"I understand." Legolas stood from Elrond's sons' prone forms and approached the kneeling half-elf. Carefully he crouched down behind him, and Elrond felt him begin to loosen the bonds which bound his wrists behind his back.

"What are you doing Legolas? Even should you free me, some enchantment keeps us here. I felt it when I entered. There is no where for me to go, and you will only bring your sire's wrath back down on your head."

Legolas's nimble fingers made quick work of the knots and the rope slipped silently down to the ground. He used the convenient excuse of going to work on the cords which bound his ankles in order to avoid Elrond's gaze. "I--I think I have worked out how to get a few people out of here as long as they remain untouched by the ring's evil. You and your sons are the only ones left besides myself with free will. I will free you, and you and they must get far from here. I know not what my father thinks you possess but he will hurt you horribly to get to it."

As soon as Elrond felt his legs come free he turned and carefully raised Legolas's chin so that the younger elf was forced to meet his gaze. He was stunned by the magnitude of resignation and courage shinning brightly among the traces of elven grief in the stunningly blue orbs. "You will free us? Good. Then we shall get you from here as well and together we will find a way to free your father." An odd protectiveness for the archer settled over the dark tressed Noldorian lord. His eyes fairly radiated the nobility of his spirit and Elrond felt his own heart lurch at the pain this madness of Thranduil's must be inflicting on his son. How could even a ring dull a paternal bond of an elf sire for his children to the point where he could do this to his offspring?

He rose in a fluid motion and went to the twins, quickly beginning on their bonds. Legolas rose with his father's grace and spoke from his position behind him, "I cannot go with you. I must stay in case something happens. In case there is an opportunity to free him. He is my father. Besides...I do not know if I can free more than three. I have never tried to bend Mirkwood's enchantments so…I do not think I could do it from without these walls."

He made no move to help untie the twins, and for a moment Elrond wondered at that, before remembering Thranduil's directive towards his son. His lips quirked in a sardonic smile. Legolas would surely see that the twins were no longer here when his father returned. His thoughts quickly turned dark once more at the thought of what might await the prince at his lord's hands when he learned of the escape. "Are you sure you cannot come with us? I fear for your safety if you remain." He hoped the prince had well thought out this plan of his. He hadn't time to go over the details with him. They'd need to work fast to get out before the king returned to begin his 'fun.'

Legolas knew whatever leniency the ring had allowed his father towards him had run out, but he had promised the twins that he would see no harm come to their father, and he meant to keep that vow, whatever the cost to himself. He would not be the cause of such sorrow as they had suffered for their mother. He could not wish that kind of pain on anyone, let alone those he considered closer than brothers. Besides, he could feel the strength and power of the elf in front of him as he moved from his elder son to free the bonds of the younger. He could not let Middle Earth loose such a ruler. The schemes of evil would be furthered much more greatly by Elrond Half-Elven's death then they would by the torment and passing of a back-water prince like himself. He would foil the ring that had ruined his father and his country in any way he could. Perhaps pursuit of the Imladrian captives would be slowed by his remaining behind. He had to give them whatever chance he could.

He lowered his eyelids as he pondered his response. Elrond was well noted for his kindness and courage. Legolas thought it unlikely that he would take himself and his sons to safety if he knew the truth…"He cannot harm me seriously." He finally replied with a lie, surprised by the ease with which the untruth flowed from his tongue, "I am his heir. What more precious possession does a king have than his one male heir? I will see you safely away. Do not fear for me."

The prince knelt to lift Elladan as Elrond rose with Elrohir. His father had told him to see the twins out of the room so he was no longer restricted in his interactions with them. His blue eyes turned beseechingly on the lord of Imladris and he was unaware of the effect the sincerity and deep fear for his country and father-- which reflected so clearly in their depths--had on the older elf. "I know we have caused you nothing but pain, and that my father's folly with this ring has threatened the lives of those you hold most dear. I know that pain as I care deeply for them myself, as brothers and friends. Still, I must beg you. Please try to find us aid. I do not know what it will take to overthrow the power of the dwarven ring which controls my father, but please, if not for charity, then in return for your freedom--"

Elrond was further moved by the humility of the obviously proud warrior who began to lead the way down a passage opposite from Thranduil's egress. "--Say nothing else my Prince. You need not plead for that which I would freely give." The relieved sigh which left the blonde's lips was nearly a tangible thing in the gloom as he led the elder lord through several twisting tunnels to what looked like a dead end. The twins would have recognized it as the secret royal entrance into the mountain, but the elven lord knew nothing of the mysterious nature of the rock wall.

"I thank you my Lord." Legolas's voice was soft with an odd catch like the beginnings of tears in his throat, "I thank you for the lives of my people and the freedom of my land, and for my father who is all I have left in Middle Earth. If you can help us, I will owe all of these things to you, and I will forever sing your praises to the stars. If ever I can do anything for you--"

Elrond silenced him with a wry grin, "Save your thanks for when your people are free and your father is ringless."

The blond nodded and carefully lay Elladan down, propping him against the tunnel's wall. "Forgive me, but I have been hopeless for so long..." He sighed and then carefully drew out a small paring knife from his boot which he kept for use during meals. "I will prick myself and touch the wall. There is a door here in the mountain which will admit you to the outside. It is somewhat more complicated than merely stepping through, since I am going to open all of Mirkwood's enchantments to you, so I must remain here, in contact with the stone. You will have to take Elrohir out and then return for Elladan. They told me their horses were told to remain nearby, so you should be able to easily find or call for them. You must ride quickly. I will try to convince my lord Father that you are hiding within the palace, but he will eventually send out riders for you regardless. One of the upsides to the mindlessness of everyone is that none of the guards seem able any longer act on their own directives, so you should be safe for a few days at least. There are almost no patrols outside the walls now that they are not needed, and Adar has wanted to keep all of his people close, so you should not meet anyone. Go quickly and follow the gold-leafed plants, they will lead you outside the wood within days."

Elrond nodded, "I have a companion who waits for me without. Together we should be able to keep the twins horsed until they wake."

Legolas did his best to summon a smile for the mighty elven lord who still looked so noble, even with his knees stained from kneeling on the dusty floor and his arms full with a grown half-elf. He would have liked to serve with such a lord, but he would be content to know that his sacrifice would ensure help for his people. He knew with a sick certainty that the ring would not forgive him for this and would see him dead if it could. Help would not arrive in time. "Tell Elladan and Elrohir that I am sorry they ended up entangled with this, and that I am sorry for everything else, as well…"

Elrond frowned at the finality he sensed in the younger elf's words, "You may tell them yourself when we find Mithrandir and return with a force to free your people."

Legolas swallowed hard and turned away before the peredhel could see the look in his eyes, "Of course." He murmured. Carefully he made a shallow cut along the palm of his left hand then moved to press it to the wall. "When I nod, go as quickly as you can."

Elrond watched as the prince placed his bleeding hand against the wall of the mountain. He caught sight of a small white bandage stained red on Legolas's cheek that he had not noticed before, but it was too late to ask after such obviously small hurts because the blond was nodding to him and he swiftly exited with his youngest twin lest this opportunity be lost.

A moment later he returned for Elladan, and with a final nod to the brave archer prince of Mirkwood, which he probably didn't even see through his obviously intense concentration, Elrond Half-Elven got his sons out of the grasp of the Mad King of the Woodlands.

When Legolas had released all three of the half-elves from the wood's enchantments that would have prevented them from leaving the borders, he fell back exhaustedly against the wall and sent a silent prayer to Elbereth that they would reach the edge of the forest safely. Distantly he thought he heard his father's voice raised in outrage. He had probably discovered Elrond missing by now. Legolas hurriedly pushed himself away from the wall's support and ran for the lower levels with the swift suredness of one who had lived for thousands of years within these walls. The tunnels down there were vast. He would make sure he was found in an area it would take them ages to completely go over. It was all that was left that he could do for them.

The guards caught up with him near the storage rooms in the opposite end of the palace from his father's new quarters. They seemed to silently materialize out of the passage's murk as they had done when they took him and the twins to the audience where Legolas had met Elrond. A quick count in the darkness revealed at least seven of them to the Prince's keen eyesight and they were all armed with blunt weapons. Three of them held clubs and two had maces, the rest were armed with staves.

'So I am to be taken alive then. Very well. I shall see if I can't buy a little more time before they subdue me,' Legolas thought and with that, he launched himself at the nearest guard--one with a staff.

The fighting was furious. Legolas kept his back to a wall so that they could not come at him from all directions and there were too many of them for them to all try at once. He was a blur of motion as he spun and ducked away from blows that would not be fatal but would surely be damaging and painful. He managed to kick the legs out from under one of the guards and the fall sent his head into the floor hard enough to knock him out of the fight. If the others had been using weapons with shorter reach, his prone form might have even served as a slight impediment to the prince's attackers. The next guard to fall dealt Legolas a hard hit to his right shoulder nearly numbing the limb clear down to the wrist, the blow cost him dearly though, as the princes uninjured left caught him in the jaw at the same time and he fell with the resounding crack of bone to join his fellow on the floor.

The fight became even more disorderly after that and Legolas knew he did not stand a chance. He was unarmed and outnumbered and he had to pull any blow that might prove fatal. He would not kill another elf. If he was to join Mandos in his halls so soon, it would not be with that black sin upon his soul. The wounded arm gave him trouble and soon another of the guards was able to get past his weakened defenses with a staff and jab him in the kidney. The pain sent stars before his vision and before he could recover a mace hit him in the left side. He fell heavily to his knees on the floor, darkness threatening to consume his vision from what he was sure were at least two badly broken ribs. That hit had been delivered with more than normal strength and he could feel a sharp pain in his chest every time he inhaled. Something was well broken in his chest and it was threatening his lungs. He instinctively folded in on himself, expecting further blows, but none fell.

When he had mastered the pain enough to look up at his assailants, they stood over him with passive faces, the only sign that they were threats their brandished weapons. The lead guard who had a very nice shiner from one of Legolas's well placed hits glanced down at his second in command who was writhing on the floor with what was assuredly a badly broken nose. "If you are done now my Prince, His Majesty requires your presence."

Even after all of that, the soldier's voice was coldly level and not a spark of free will lit his eyes. "Rise." He barked the command and Legolas had no choice but to try and obey. He was desperately gasping in pain, hardly able to draw a breath, and he knew he could not continue to fight in the state he was in. Further damage to his chest would almost definitely cause the rib to puncture his lung and then he would have bought Elrond and his sons very little time indeed.

Painfully he struggled to stand, attempting to lever himself up with the wall behind him without jarring himself too badly and with only minimal use of his right arm. Twice he had to stop and fight off threatened unconsciousness but none of the remaining four guards still standing without help showed any sign of wishing to aid him.

Finally he made it to his feet and stood swaying heavily without its support. Distantly he realized he was proud of himself for keeping whimpers of pain from escaping his lips.

"Come." He was commanded, but with the first step he knew he was not going to make it. A dark pit of blackness loomed in his vision and he fought down a moan of agony at the pain the movement caused. Abruptly he found himself coughing and he was dismayed to see bright spots of blood on his hand when the fit had subsided. He solemnly prayed to Elbereth that his healing was still functional on wounds caused by things other than his father's ring as he lost the battle for consciousness. A small moan slipped from him that he could not hold back, and he felt himself begin to fall, and then he knew no more.

Elvish:

Adar -- Father

Peredhel -- half-elf

Since some of the issues with formatting seemed to have been worked out within fanfiction . net, I'm giving this website one more try. -;- If my paragraphing disappears this time…I'm afraid I'm going to have to hurt someone. :P This fic is also updated on Adultfanficion . net under the profile of "shiryuu" and will be up on my webpage (www . artisticentropy . com ) along with the first five chapters of the sequel, probably within the week.


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